Three Pakistan Army soldiers were killed and one injured in the Rakhchikri sector of Rawalkot on Tuesday as the Indian Army retaliated strongly to the unprovoked shelling by Pakistani troops in the civilian areas of Poonch district of Jammu division.

Indiscriminate shelling by Pakistan troops had on Monday claimed 3 lives, including a 5-year-old girl, a woman and a BSF officer, as the mortars fired by them hit residential areas.

Pakistan Army’s Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed on Tuesday morning that their 3 soldiers have been killed. The ISPR identified the killed soldiers as Subedar Muhammad Riaz, a resident of Jhang, Lance Havaldar Aziz Ullah from Noshero Feroz, and Sepoy Shahid Mansib from Abbotabbad.

Rawalkot is across Poonch in Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).

Pakistani troops for the past 5 days have been raining mortars in the civilian areas of Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu and the Indian Army was retaliating strongly.

A Red Alert has been sounded in the Poonch and Rajouri districts by the Army and civil administration because of the indiscriminate shelling by Pakistan troops. All government and private education institutions within the 5 km radius of the Line of Control (LoC) have been closed as a precautionary measure.

In the overnight shelling on civilian areas by Pakistani troops, three persons, including a woman, have been injured in the Patri village of Poonch district. They have been identified as Mohammad Asif (20), Mohammad Azam (45) and Rakiya Bi (20). They were shifted to the hospital at Mendhar for treatment.

Army spokesman, Lt. Colonel Devender Anand said that Pakistani troops started shelling on Tuesday morning at about 11.30 am with artillery, mortars and firing of small arms along the LoC in the Nowshera sector of the Rajouri district. Indian Army is retaliating befittingly, he said.

Meanwhile, the body of the martyred Inspector of BSF, T Alex Lalminlun, was flown here and a wreath-laying ceremony was held at the headquarters of the Jammu Frontier of the BSF. Top officers of BSF and police offered tributes to the martyr.